Fashion talk in New York still revolves around the death from ovarian cancer last month of Liz Tilberis, editor of Harper's Bazaar. Posthumous inclusion in the Best Dressed List Hall of Fame was immediately agreed, while a window in Saks department store on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 49th Street has been dedicated to her, featuring a chair, desk, vase of flowers and photograph of Tilberis; other stores, seemingly, plan to follow suit.
More poignant is her own editorial in the May issue of Harper's which makes no mention of terminal illness but offers recommendations for dressing over the months ahead, concluding with the remark "It's going to be a fabulous summer." English-born Tilberis took over as editor of Harper's Bazaar in 1992 and from the first issue under her direction it was clear she intended to restore the magazine to the standards of its years of glory during the 1930s and 1940s under the editorship of Dublin-born Carmel Snow.
While the design of Harper's often recalled that halcyon period, its content had to reflect the reality of today's fashion which is much more commercially-driven than used to be the case. And regretfully, in publishing success is measured by quantity of advertising rather than quality of editorial. Therefore, Harper's Bazaar never managed to challenge the hegemony of American Vogue, even though the latter has frequently been a less interesting magazine.
Whether the Tilberis style survives under her successor (as yet unchosen) remains to be seen, but the likelihood is that a more populist and less stylish tone will be adopted. Liz Tilberis received posthumous admission to the Fashion Hall of Fame with the following citation: "Mrs Tilberis was a luminous personality in the fashion world. She combined her own exemplary personal style with extraordinary skills as a leading advocate of the creation, understanding and aesthetic appreciation of fashion itself. She represented the ultimate form of elegance, which is grace under pressure"
SPEAKING of style, New York is currently celebrating the late Audrey Hepburn who, were she still alive, would be 70 tomorrow. A new book, Audrey-Style, analyses the actress's look and even offers advice to readers on how they can recreate it for themselves.
A Mary Jane shoe designed for her by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1957 has just been reissued; the firm is hosting an exhibition on Hepburn in Florence until next July and the windows of its Fifth Avenue outlet feature mannequins wearing examples of her gamine look. Crucial elements include a large pair of sunglasses (from Breakfast at Tiffany's), a simple raincoat, flat pumps, close-fitting sweaters, Dior-ish New Look skirts and cropped Capri pants.
The last item is very much the essential item for this summer as a successor to last year's pedal pushers. The length is halfway between knee and ankle and is being worn by both women and men; unfortunately, in the latter instance, hairy calves rather spoil the look.
The bag wars continue. Fashion devotees will know that owning this season's correct accessories has become more important than a new wardrobe of clothing. And for the past couple of years, the bag has been steadily growing in importance. A year ago, the only one to own was a Hermes Kelly bag, then Fendi counter-attacked before Gucci returned to favour (where bags are concerned, Prada simply doesn't feature at the moment).
Chanel made a brave effort to capture some of the market with a radical new design but this seems not to have won much approval. Instead, the most-wanted spot at the moment has been taken by a leather tote with large pearlised beads at its handle base. Made by Christian Dior, and seen on the arm of Gwyneth Paltrow, it retails in the US for a mere $1,200.
